The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-10-29
THE STRAIGHT OF 1T.
"Dixie's" Statement Regard
ing Parker's Escape.
HE SLID THROUGH A WINDOW
he Violated No Word of Honor, AS No
Promise Was Exacted of Him
at That Time.
n tba Editor of s11rLAKE HERALD.

|
ment printed in your daily paper OF
Friday, October IA, over the signature
of Tex, concerning the escape of Robert
Parker, of the town of Washington, in
Washington County, from Deputy
Marshal John 6. Armstrong; wherein
he TEX accuses the said Parker of
breaking his word of honor in making
the said escape. Although it is in &C
cordance with the statement of the said
John G. Armstrong, on his return to
Silver Reef without his prey, 1 have
the best of reason for believing, which l
will hereafter give, that the statement
made by Tex, of Beaver, and Deputy
| Marshal Armstrong, are absolute false
hoods.
Being well acquainted with Robert
Parker, and never knowing of him be.
ing guilty of anything of this kind,
when heard of the statement in circu-
lation al Silver Reef, took the privilege
of going to Mr.. Parker, and others, who
were eve witnesses, and learn of them
|
give as they we're given to me:
AS stated, Robert Parker, who is post
master of Washington, went as usual and
took the mail sack from the driver.
Marshal Armstrong, being on the coach,
followed Parker into the postothce
and there informing him that he had
some business with him. Parker, of
course, mistrusted what it was, told him
he was very sorry. Parker changed
the mail, left not the contents on the
floor, as stated by Tex, and handed the
sack to the driver, and returned to the
postoffice. From there Parker and
Deputy Armstrong stepped in back
room. joining the postottice; there
Armstrong was handed chair and they
both sat down, and Armstrong
read the warrant of arrest, for unlaw-
| full cohabitation. Mr.. Parker asked
Armstrong if he would grant him the
privilege of remaining until morning,
! that he might be able to fix up his
accounts, and arrange his business so
he could leave it; told him that if he
would allow him this privilege, hewould
give him his word of honor that he
would not leave. But Armstrong posi-
lively refused to accept of his word of
honor, and the privilege asked for was
not granted.
From here, (the postoffice and
! dwelling house, which are combined)
| they went together TO the store about
| four rods away, to make known to his
clerk (who Is also assistant post
MASTERY the situation Of affairs. From
here they returned to the postoffice.
| In the meantime Armstrong had hired
| a man to take himself and prisoner to
Silver Reef that night, a distance of
J 81
| then near shutdown. He here informed
| Parker that he wished him to be ready
to start for Silver Reef within twenty
| five minutes, and that if he desired 10
change his clothes he had better now
attend to it. When this conversation
took place they were in the postoffice,
or went in soon after. Parker stepped
out of the postoffice into the bedroom,
a small room, the door of which was
about twelve feet from where MIR. Arm
strong sat, and he sat directly before it,
with no object whatever between him
and said door, and there was no other
door that led out of this bedroom. Par
ker, when he went in the bedroom to
dress, left the door partly open, So the
the marshal could see him while dress
ing, which he did, and to use his Arm
strong's) own words according to IN
ioImdIlonJ, Ine last GnlhS ho %" ilhi
do was to put his suspenders
the last thing he did do
in that bedroom at that time.
At that nom 2nt he noticed the small
window at the front, that hung
like door on hinges; the thought
cane to him like a flash that through
that window he could gain freedom
this window opened to the north, to-
wards the street. The door that Arm
strong was watching opened to the west
into another room. This window could
not be seen through the door from
where the marshal sat.
Parker made his escape through this
window ran around onthe east side of the
house, down towards the south end
of the lot through a heavy growth of
sunflower$ bumped over the fence at the
southeast corner, into another lot, ran
through that and made his escape.
armstrong close upon the heels of
prisoner)
In order to show how much Mr.
Armstrong was depending on the word
of honor of Mr.. Parker (for him to return
to his arms from that bedroom, while
he sat carelessly reading his paper or
amusing himself with the thought that
he had his prisoner Gagged, and all he
had to do was to deliver him and get
his pay) L was ntold by an eye witness,
a bystander outside in street, that il
was not more than one minute, aid
thought less, from the time Parker
came through that window, until Arm
strong came through after him. Arm
strong, not knowing which way Parker
went ran twice round the house, then.ran
down the lot in the same direction that |
Parker had gore.
Parker told me that while he was |
running across this other lot spoken of |
he saw Armstrong when he came down
to the lower, or south end of his lot.
Ionly give this much the escape a d
search, to show the Inconsistency tn. |
Parker broke his word of honor, in
leaving that bedroom the way he did,
instead OF coming back the way he
went in.
1 will now give Parker's statement in
regard to his word of honor, as he gave
it to me. Says he: offered Mr.. Arm
strong my word of honor that l would |
not leave, if he would allow me to re-